Chula Vista Code Enforcement Chief To Testify Before Congress On New Ordinance Targeting Foreclosing Lenders

In Chula Vista, California, KNSD-TV Channel 7/39 reports:

• A local ordinance, which holds lenders responsible for the condition of abandoned properties or financially distressed homes, is becoming a model for other cities. Authored by Chula Vista's code enforcement manager Doug Leeper, the city's Residential Abandoned Property Program states that violators who fail to maintain properties can be fined up to $1,000 for each day the property remains unkempt. If they don't pay, the city places a lien on the property.

• Leeper has been contacted by more than 150 cities for help in crafting new legislation to deal with the fallout of homes abandoned during the nation's foreclosure crisis, officials said. Leeper is headed to Washington, D.C., to testify before a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee about the ordinance [this] week.

Source: Chula Vista Official Lauded For Innovative Foreclosure Ordinance (Leeper Authored Foreclosure Policy Others Now Looking To Emulate).